


This Is a Rescue

by celeste9



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Escape, F/M, Flirting, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Pre-Relationship, Rescue Missions, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-22 05:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14301540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: When Poe finds himself a prisoner on a First Order Star Destroyer again, he figures it's a bit too much to hope for help getting out.He definitely doesn't expect help to arrive in the form of Vice-Admiral Amilyn Holdo.





	This Is a Rescue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maplemood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maplemood/gifts).



“Think, Dameron,” Poe said to himself. “You’ve been in worse spots.”

Of course, generally when Poe had been in worse spots, he had had back-up. Or at least stormtroopers looking to defect. Poe didn’t think even his luck was good enough to expect a break like that again.

But it was fine. Poe could break himself off a Star Destroyer. No problem. He had already done it once; he could do it again, completely on his own. He was Poe Dameron. He could do this.

He just… had to figure out how.

He knocked his head back against the wall of his cell, a dull thudding sound echoing. “Kriffing think.”

It didn’t help that he had already been through three rounds of interrogation; his body was aching and his head throbbing. He couldn’t quite seem to focus properly. 

Plus side, he wasn’t strapped in one of those kriffing contraptions like last time. He was just in an empty cell, nothing but a bench jutting out from the wall for him to sit on. They didn’t even leave him in binders, only when they moved him. 

He would have to make his bid when they took him out; there was no way to get the door open from this side of the wall. He was always moved by an entourage of stormtroopers, so he needed to - 

The door clicked open. An officer stepped through, a tall, slim woman in a dark uniform.

Poe sighed. Ahead of schedule. “You hardly even gave me a break; let me catch my breath before you hit me again, damn. I mean, I’m just saying. I could start lying my ass off just to make you stop, you know? I’m guessing Hux isn’t interested in you repeating lies as intel.”

“I can leave you in here if that’s what you really want,” the officer said, and Poe stared at her as she lifted her chin and faced him.

“Admiral!” he exclaimed.

Vice-Admiral Holdo gazed back at him, dull brown hair tucked beneath her cap. “Looks like you’ve gotten yourself into quite the mess.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I thought that was obvious. I’m breaking you out.”

“But why?”

“Turns out Leia is rather fond of you.”

Poe felt a warm burst of pleasure at her words. Of course he knew it already but he couldn’t deny it was nice to have unbiased confirmation. “Yeah, but I know Leia. She knows when risks are worth taking. One pilot on a Star Destroyer? Not worth it, and definitely not worth the possibility of losing an admiral in a rescue attempt.”

“Perhaps I volunteered.”

“Why the fuck would you do that? Uh. Sorry.”

Holdo’s lips curved faintly up. “I suppose I’m a bit fond of you as well.”

Poe kept watching her, hoping he didn’t look as confused as he felt. “I thought I was a pain in your ass, Admiral.”

“You’re that, too,” she agreed. “Now shut your mouth and let me rescue you.”

That was an order Poe wasn’t going to fight. “Yes, ma’am.” 

He bit his lip as he got to his feet, feeling every bit of his interrogation. Holdo’s eyes narrowed as she watched him with concern but she didn’t comment.

“This corridor should be clear,” she explained as Poe joined her near the door. “If all goes according to plan, we should be a good ways through the ship before anyone notices us. We’ll make it look like a prisoner transport.”

Poe noticed the binders she was holding out. “Admiral, I usually don’t let anyone put those on me until the second date.”

“Doesn’t this count as our second date? You shouted, I threw you out, you pulled a blaster on me, I touched your face?”

“What the hell kind of dates do you go on?” Poe thought for a second. “Wait, you what?’ 

Holdo gave him a tiny, secretive sort of smile. She snapped the binders around his offered wrists but didn’t lock them. “I’ve been waiting to do this since the  _ Raddus. _ ”

Poe snorted. “I’ll bet you have.”

Holdo had been right; the corridor was vacant as they exited the cell. She had a blaster, which she held to his back as they walked. “I have a ship,” she said quietly. “With luck we can get away before they’ve noticed you’re missing.”

“They only check on me when they want to ask me questions. If they keep to pattern, it’ll be hours before they see my cell is empty.”

“Shush,” Holdo said, as they turned a corner and an officer walked straight for them.

“What are you doing with that prisoner?” he asked, short and clipped.

Holdo brought Poe to a halt just before the officer. “The Supreme Leader would like to have a few minutes with him. He’s proven… recalcitrant.”

“Hmm. I haven’t seen that order come through; are you not aware of who this prisoner is? He is under the strictest security protocols, and that comes from General Hux and the Supreme Leader.”

“I understand. Perhaps you should check again.” 

Frowning, the officer did so, scanning over his datapad. His expression flickered and then he met Holdo’s eyes again. “That’s strange. It appears you’re right.”

“Well, you were only doing your duty,” Holdo said in an encouraging tone of voice. “Now if you’ll let me do mine?”

The officer looked Poe up and down, lip curling. “I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes.” He waved them past. “Go on.”

Holdo jabbed Poe firmly in the middle of the back with her blaster, no doubt adding to Poe’s collection of bruises, pushing him forward. “Let’s go, rebel scum.”

Once they were out of earshot, Poe murmured, “That was a nice touch, but you didn’t have to shove me so hard.”

“No, I did,” Holdo said, amusement in her voice.

“Careful, you’ll make me think you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I am enjoying myself.” Holdo led Poe through the corridors with a firm surety that made it look like she belonged. She never hesitated nor made wrong turns, as though she had memorized the layout. Or at least, the necessary sections.

“Finn helped with this plan, didn’t he?” Poe asked.

“There are actually a lot of people in the Resistance who are fond of you, Commander.”

“Neat,” Poe said, and tried not to get too smug about it. “So basically, the plan is just to fake being an officer and exit the same way you got in?”

“Basically.”

“Huh. You could’ve put some more thought into it.”

“I put significantly more thought into it than you did in your ‘shut down the tracker’ plan.”

Poe risked a glance backwards and couldn’t tell if Holdo was trying to be funny or not. “Ouch.”

“Isn’t there a saying like that? The truth hurts?”

Now Poe was certain she was trying to be a dick. He liked it, he wasn’t going to lie. “Damn, Admiral.”

“Yes, now shut the hell up,” Holdo said, pushing him roughly. “You’re far too mouthy for a prisoner. They’re starting to stare.”

She had a point. Poe shut the hell up.

Holdo brought them to an out-of-the-way overhang, where they crouched down and looked out at a stretch of open space, a small landing bay. There was a shuttle parked there, and quite a lot of stormtroopers and officers.

“Uh, just a wild guess here, but is that the ship you meant?”

“There goes our ride,” Holdo muttered.

“We’ll just steal a TIE. I’ve done it before.”

“Oh, sure, no problem, yes, let’s just steal a TIE.”

Poe grinned. “Where’s your optimism, Admiral? This will be fun.”

She was trying to keep a straight face, Poe could tell, but it wasn’t entirely working. “I have always wanted to fly one.”

“Here’s your chance, then.”

Holdo nudged him back out into the corridor, empty for the moment. She stood straight, half a head taller than him. She looked different without her brightly colored hair but the First Order uniform was… not a bad look, Poe found himself thinking. Actually, he thought it might be better if he made himself stop thinking about it.

“Nearest hangar is this way,” Holdo said, urging him into motion. “Try not to look conspicuous; we’re getting farther and farther out of step from where we’d be headed if I were actually taking you to Kylo Ren.”

“Oh, absolutely, I’ll try not to look conspicuous, the infamous prisoner with the fucking huge bounty on his head who has already escaped from a Star Destroyer before.”

Holdo looked sideways at him as she moved to retake her position, marching him along. “You’re proud of that bounty, aren’t you?”

“A little,” Poe admitted. “They raised it since Starkiller. The picture’s good.” He considered a moment. “You’ve got to have a huge one too, Admiral.”

“Mmm, I expect so. Just means I’m doing my job.”

Poe determined to look up the price on Amilyn Holdo’s head as soon as he had a moment to himself back at the base. She might not care about playing the hero but she certainly did it anyway.

“I think there’s some sort of ruse to be had in there somewhere,” Poe said. “You pretend to catch me, I pretend to catch you, we collect the bounties?”

“And simply escape again?”

“Well, it’s a lot less trouble than you’d think, considering.”

Holdo jabbed her blaster at his back.

“Ow,” Poe said. “Hope you’ve got the safety on that thing.”

“I thought you liked it a little dangerous, flyboy.” The hint of a suggestive purr in her tone was both surprising and way too intriguing.

“Well, sure, but not--” Poe broke off at the sound of an alarm.

_ Alert all decks, prisoner escape from cell block-- _

Ah, damn it.

“Damn,” Holdo said, not needing to push Poe to get him moving. They hadn’t been spotted yet but it was only a matter of time.

“Guess they checked my cell early.”

“The surprise shuttle might have tipped them off.”

“True.” They were nearly at the hangar bay, if Poe’s recollection of the interior was correct. He figured there wasn’t much difference from one Star Destroyer to the next, provided the model was the same.

Blaster fire scored the wall near their heads and shouting rang out behind them. “I think our luck’s running out, Admiral,” Poe called out, glancing back over his shoulder for a look at their pursuers.

Holdo reached down and pulled a small blaster out of an ankle holster and tossed it at Poe. He caught it as he broke out of the unlocked binders, discarding them.

“You could’ve given me the big one,” he said, firing into the oncoming mass of troopers.

“I could have,” Holdo agreed, getting in a perfect shot at a weak spot in one of the troopers’ armor.

“Lucky I’m not concerned about size. Looks better in your hands anyway,” Poe said, and grinned when he caught Holdo rolling her eyes.

“Still up for stealing that TIE?” she said as they skidded into the hangar bay, the area a mass of First Order personnel rushing to respond to the escape attempt.

“It’s that or get shot, so yeah, let’s do it.”

They kept firing, the commotion helping to get them pushed through the crowd, troopers hitting each other in the chaos. The oddly random thought that Finn’s Captain Phasma would have been appalled crossed Poe’s mind. Holdo shoved him in towards the nearest entrance cavity for a special forces TIE, the two of them narrowly ducking blaster bolts, whereupon Poe headed for the pilot’s seat.

“I’m flying,” Holdo declared. “Man the weapons.”

“But--”

“Get your ass in that gunner seat!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Poe said, and did as he was told. “You have to unlock the--”

“I know how to fly, Dameron!”

“Okay,” Poe breathed under his breath. “Here is me not being helpful.” He focused on the weapons array and fired indiscriminately into the hangar bay, at the troopers, at the elevated control center, and then at the docked TIEs when Holdo pulled away.

She didn’t get stuck, like he had on the  _ Finalizer _ . Poe liked to think it was because he’d pointed it out, even if she had shushed him.

“That’s some kick!” Holdo crowed as they zoomed out, and Poe couldn’t help his grin. He thought he might actually like Holdo a good deal in less stressful circumstances. Hell, even this hadn’t been so bad. He would escape a Star Destroyer with her again any time.

She kept them in close to the Star Destroyer as TIEs began to swarm after them; Poe appreciated the smooth maneuverability and optimal visibility of the weapons system as he fired.

“Take out the turrets,” Holdo directed, flying with a light touch that Poe admired.

“Now who’s the one pointing out the obvious?” Poe fired once, twice, gutting the turrets ahead of them so they could break free.

“I’ve almost got the coordinates programmed,” Holdo said, ignoring him, as Poe blew up a TIE encroaching on them.

“The sooner the better, we’ve got a hell of a lot of company approaching!”

Holdo was murmuring under her breath; then she said, “There!” 

For one instant the surrounding ships seemed to blur, and then they all disappeared as their stolen TIE winked out into hyperspace.

Poe exhaled and pushed a hand through his sweaty hair. “We haven’t crashed, so that’s one up on my last escape from the clutches of the First Order.”

“You crashed?” Holdo said, and Poe could almost hear the lift of her eyebrow. “And you wanted to fly.”

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault! A missile from the  _ Finalizer  _ clipped us.”

“Shame you couldn’t evade, much as I did.”

“Okay, okay,” Poe said, laughing. “You win, Admiral.”

“A concession? Dameron, I’m shocked.” 

“Yeah, and I’m tired as hell. Dunno if you’ve ever had the pleasure but I don’t recommend First Order interrogation. Especially not multiple rounds of it.” 

“I hope you know you’re going to be ordered into the infirmary as soon as we arrive to base, either by Leia or me. Probably both.”

Poe made a small noise of agreement because he did actually know when there was no point in arguing. Or at least, sometimes he did. In any case, he felt too terrible to fight it.

The TIE was silent for a while until Poe said, “Sorry I insulted your plan; you did think it through more than I do most of the time. Did you hack into the First Order’s communication system to push that fake order through?”

“Your droid helped.”

“Aw, my buddy,” Poe said fondly. He should have known. “Lucky they developed these new two-seaters, huh? With a hyperdrive, even.”

“Are you going to talk the entire way?” Holdo sounded more curious than irritated.

“It’s gonna be a long trip through hyperspace if we don’t talk to each other. Besides, you already admitted you like me.”

Poe wished he could see Holdo’s face. “Maybe just a little,” she said.

“Hey, a little’s enough for me. Especially considering the whole, you know. Mutiny thing.”

“That was unfortunate, wasn’t it?”

“Unfortunate is one word for it, anyway. I like to think I’ve grown as a person since then, though.”

“Leia thinks you have.”

Poe was quiet for a moment, letting that sink in. Leia’s opinion meant more to him than anything, more than he was even comfortable thinking about. “And what do you think?”

Holdo fell into corresponding thoughtful silence before replying, “If I thought you weren’t worth it, I wouldn’t be here, would I?” 

“Yeah, I guess not,” Poe said, warmth rushing over him. Maybe Holdo’s opinion was important to him, too, and wasn’t that strange? “Thanks, Admiral.”

“It was almost my pleasure,” Holdo said, and Poe smiled.

He wondered what Holdo was like in her downtime, when she wasn’t trying to save the entire Resistance fleet while Poe pushed where he wasn’t wanted or needed. He thought maybe he had had a glimpse of it, and he liked what he saw. He wondered if Holdo held the same sentiment in regards to him. Poe hoped he got the opportunity to discover just what she thought of him, and honestly, only hours ago he was fairly certain he wouldn’t have ever wanted to know that answer.

He supposed sometimes you just had to steal a ship together to really get to know a person.


End file.
